It's more than just another Arranger Keyboard...
It's more than just another Player...

It's the Musician's entertainment tool that was only a dream ... until now!

It's the new KETRON SD7 ! ! !

SAY What? !!!!

Please tell us more ASAP

any demos yet?

common AJ lets see and hear this baby!

Looking forward to hearing demos, knowing what it will cost and how long we have to wait before it is available in stores.

Is it a MOTL version, leaving Audya still in place as top Ketron keyboard?

Its clearly marketed at the home player with build in speakers...

It reminds me of the SD1 I first encountered about 10-15 years ago (when they still had TOTL arrangers on demo in the stores). I had never heard of Ketron at the time. I remembered playing it for 2 hours and they still had to tear me away from it. I loved that keyboard.

If this is even remotely like that SD1, I'll consider it. The Audya is way too physically big for me!

Mark

Audya 4 with a small midi keyboard is a good option...

The specs will make the difference. The looks might not be impressive, but neither is too bad. Functionality wise I am very curious.

In all probability it is the Midjay Pro with keys and sliders.
Not a bad package the thing with Ketron always is:
How long will it last before being available ?
HOw many bugs will have to be remedied over which period of time ?
and last but not least how expensive will it be ?

Overall all of the ketron products have been relatively expensive , certainly in comparision to the midrange Yamahas and even more so to the midrange Korgs. In other words the product will have to be really advanced and well priced to become attractive to prospective buyers.

regards
John

No sense wildly speculating the unknown as of yet...certainly a good marketing strategy to release when there is hardly anything of mention NEW on the market,.....I have an open mind at this point.btw I love the speakers, .... Also the style modeling is very interesting as is the triple USB front ports.
I'm sure AJ will reveal the new SD7 in all its glory very soon for all to witness.

Thanx for the link......awesome demos.....but I wish there were more Latin style demos, Merengue, Chacha, Rumba, etc,? & 6/8 also ..

The 'B3' in that first video sounded damned good to me.

chas

I agree Chas on the B3......I wonder if it also has that nice keyfeel the SD5 had also? And does it have a Vocal processor too looks like a neutrik mic input on rear?

More details here:- http://www.ketron.it/index.php/?option=com_content&view=article&id=588&Itemid=20


Demos here:- http://www.ketron.it/index.php/?option=com_content&view=article&id=596&Itemid=20

Keybed action is similar to SD5/SD1 (to keep weight down).
Yes, Vocal processor/Harmonizer comes standard (neutrik mic input).


Thanks,

AJ

Great News AJ the OS has a Audya graphic look to it?.......
Approx release date? price?..

In English......

http://www.ketron.it/index.php?option=co...20&lang=eng

Sounds prommising for the right price... There is a lot of good things in this keyboard..

But will the price be right... And how will ketron reach out to the homeplayers with their poor distribution system... Overhere in Holland and Germany, none lms seem to sell ketron anymore... Which is a pitty..

The demos sound great, especially the drums. A bit too fat in the bass for me, though. Additionally, there does not seem to be a plethora of country or Latin styles available, but I suspect there will be some third party styles that can be added at a later date if and when they become available.

As for service, in the US it's AJ ONLY! If AJ decides to do something else, that's pretty much the end of the game for Ketron in the US.

All the best,

Gary

Many Yamaha styles sound great on Ketron instruments or modules ... And there is a plethora of styles allready available for ketron.. Still to bad the audya styles will not work on this instrument..

I think we'll very surprised at what this keyboard can do as we learn about it in weeks to come. Lets not jump to conclusions when no one has even played one yet,......to me it seems like an Audya & Midjay put together .....latin styles?...I'm sure even if they weren't on the demos...Ketron has been the KING with latin styles thru the years & I'm sure they are included as are many many more in the onboard library
and many of these PRO features included are miles above most arrangers on the market now. Personally I will wait, reserve judgement ....actually play one ....see if it fits 'my needs on stage" etc,.. before I say anymore.

There you go.....

what does this mean for the future of the Audya?

will Audya get updated? like a serious update it so much needs?

like 4-8gb ram, 256-500gb SSD, modern CPU, new OS, new touchscreen, etc.

My best bet is we will see an advanced audya replacement in the next two years...


I think the Sd7 is just an MidJ pro with added keys and speakers...

Don't be fooled there is Audya & Midjay pro inside the SD7 also...
just saying.

I'll tell you one thing it's sound more "LIVE" then any Yamaha arranger I ever heard so far to date...

only the audya thats also in the midj pro...

SD7 is a MidjPro with keys and speakers and more styles
and voices.

They have about the same number of styles and voices...

Boy the Crystal Ball is in full force ...

AJ,
Any specs like size and weight?

Price?

Deane

This is the first arranger I’ve heard that might make me think beyond Yamaha. I liked everything I heard, especially the mellow trumpet/brass sounds. Didn’t hear any choral voices, scat, etc., but they may be in there somewhere. It really does have a live sound to my listening.

Deane,

We should be getting prices shortly once the show raps up. It will be one of our lightest Keyboards ... since the MS60 @ LXWXH (in inches) = 45 15 X 4.5

It will also be our Arranger with the most packed features:$ ratio.

More info to follow.

Thanks,

Many have asked so I'll just answer here.

There are 4 fills and 4 breaks (although the panel only shows access to 1). Depending on which Arranger you are in (e.g. if you are currently playing ARRANGER B), if you press the dedicated FILL or BREAK button on the panel, you will get FILL2/BREAK2.

However, if you choose the ARRANGER screen (as shown below), you can have access to the dedicated FILL INS/BREAKS and press any right there on the touch screen - regardless of which ARRANGER you are in ...

Hope this explanation helps.

Is there a manual out for SD7?

http://www.ketron.it/index.php/?option=com_content&view=article&id=590&Itemid=20

regards,
John

OK, now that this SD7 is "out"

can we please work on an Audya+ ??

and this time let us put in our own audio guitars in the audio guitars folder, thanks

AJ, Is the SD7 'backward' compatible with any other Ketron keyboards or modules?
I really like the sounds and new styles for registrations, it would be nice if I could just dump hundreds of midi files with a minimum amount of editing. Could that be possible?
Ciao,
Jerry

If the SD7 is really a midjpro with keyboard and speakers then I would think that this demo will also boost sales of the midjpro.
Such a shame that they can't be found in the music stores as that would be a sale booster too.

I'm still using my old Solton (Ketron) MS40 module and couldn't bear to be without it - Ketron let themselves down by not making more effort to sell their wares which are, and always have been, class leading instruments in many ways.
Tony

Anthony,
I also had the MS40 and its keyboard version the MS50. Great instruments for those days with drums that even today are hard to beat by the other brands. Problem with Ketron,apart from being a small company with a slightly blemished reputation as to service and aftersales is that they continued to develop things based on the same OS as previous models. Hence the Audya is a hideous machine to programme, imagine the old Solton MS50 but with a new multitude of variables. ( parameters).

As to this new SD7 being a Midjay Pro in a box, that would not necessarily be a good thing as I read on many Italian sites and forums how many problems and bugs were encountered by those who purchased one. If you go to the private sales of musical instruments on Italian sites you will find many Midjay Pros on offer. Maybe because they have an eye on the new SD7 but it might also be that they are somehow disenchanted.

Personally I still have an old Ketron X1 alongside my Korg PA800 and I still think that the versatility of this X1, the outstanding drums and some individual samples noticably the blow-sax, musette, etc. is impressive. Mind you to the best of my knowledge the entire ROM sample memory of this X1 does not supersede 24Mb, so the SD7 should be much and much better in every way. Still, the touchscreen so far with Ketron has not been a very reliable construction as compared to Korg, hopefully they have learned from their experiences with the Midjay Pro which also sports ( the same ?) touchscreen.
Only time will tell...........

regards,
JOhn

just heard that the street price here in Europe will be approx.
2800 euros ( just over 3000 dollars) which is a lot of money. Not sure whether it will compete heavily with Korg and Yamaha given its price-tag................

regards,
John

Hi John,
A few things I didn't know there and the price, if you are correct, will hold back sales of the SD7 especially when Roland have the BK9-76 at a good price.
However I still have a regard for Ketron and really hope they will get their act together now and give the big three some competition.
Tony

I think 2.000 euro mark will be about right. 2.800... it's way too much.
My oppinion.

Fraid I cannot agree on the Audya being difficult to program. I suppose it should be seen in the light of what one is used to.

Those demos sound really good & I'm sure there will be a market for it, especially with AJ's continued support.

Henni

Hi Henni,

I know you love your Audya and you are not the only one. It is a great keyboard but during the short spell that I had one at home to give it a go I found that programming was not so much
"difficult " but very, very 'cumbersome', certainly in comparison to my Korg (= touchscreen ) programming, but also compared to for instance programming a Ketron X1 or SD1 for the simple reason that the Audya has such a terrific amount of paramenters that can be programmed.
Getting back to the new SD7, none of us so far has got any first hand experience with, I think Ketron would have been wiser to make it competitive in price with the Korg PA900 and the Yamaha PSR950....

Regards,
John

It has to compete with pa900 and psr s950, being much more expensive would not be wise.

2800 euros???.... If its truth is stupidity of Ketron.... SD7=2800 euros and Audya 4=2699 euros??? http://www.thomann.de/gr/ketron_audya_4.htm
I hope that its not truth......

Just got word from one of the (only) three Ketron dealers in the Netherlands: price will amount to 2900 euros !!
Bad start, I reckon....

John

Thats what we agree on...

Wow!!! Only Ketron can do that. Amazing overall sound. Well done Ketron!

Henni

The Ketron SD7 is a nice arranger keyboard in my opinion. It has that live band feel and the audio drums are a nice addition to the overall sound. According to the Ketron website the SD7 has a new sound generation system and after listening to many of the demos I have to say kudos to Ketron for the excellent sounds and styles it provides.

The downside is the price obviously. 2800 Euros equals a little over $3,000 although we still don't know the complete specifications and once we do know then the price might be more in line for what you're actually getting. On the bright side the speakers are 20W x 20W which is eight more watts than Yammie arrangers which is a plus. Of course the proof is in the pudding but hopefully the speakers will sound excellent even at high volume.

I saw a video demo from Frankfurt Musikmesse and noticed when the guy played the SD7 the keyboard itself bounced around a little bit which probably means the SD7 doesn't weigh very much. That can be a good thing if you've got a bad back but if it weighs next to nothing then that could be a problem if the thing bounces around while you're playing during a live performance. I'm not sure why the specs haven't been released yet but one theory could be that Ketron hasn't finished production yet and so the specs might actually change before it arrives in stores.

Either way I think Ketron has succeeded in producing a really nice arranger keyboard but again the price will probably keep some people from purchasing one unless there are more cutting edge features we're not aware of. If it has a sampler and dual sequencers, which I don't think it does by the way, then the price starts to look a little better. It has a dual professional player but that's just for playing various media formats like mp3, wav and midi. The dual professional player is nice in that it can cross-fade between songs and apparently you can also eliminate the vocal track which comes in handy when you just want backing tracks and not the vocals themselves.

Sounds are the most important feature of any keyboard and I think that Ketron has hit a home run with the SD7 in that regard. Is it worth $3,000? Well, the Yamaha Tyros 5 retails for $5,299 and you'd be fortunate to get one for under $4,500. On the other hand, the Ketron SD7 sounds possibly better than the Tyros 5 in some instances in my opinion and so the asking price could actually be justifiable. But again we need to know more about the complete specs which will give us a better idea of the overall features and functions which in theory could end up making the SD7 a real bargain when you think about it.

I really like the new tonewheel organ sounds too and that in itself boosts the overall value of the keyboard in my estimation. Hopefully there will be many more demos of actual people playing the SD7 which again will give us a better idea of its overall strengths and weaknesses if it has any. Weaknesses that is. I'm sure it won't have USB 3.0 because that would be quite a leap from the Audya's USB 1.1 which costs in excess of $5,000. The SD7 could be considered a high-end arranger keyboard if it has considerable cutting edge features. The sounds are definitely top shelf at least the ones I've heard so far anyway. The SD7 could be a real hit depending on what you get for the price but limited availability in the U.S. could dampen the overall enthusiasm somewhat. It will probably sell fairly well in Europe and Asia though. I wouldn't mind having one just for the onboard speakers which eliminates the need for an external sound source thereby making it an excellent choice for small venues. And its light weight will be a plus for easy portability. If it's as light as a feather then it will probably necessitate the use of velco straps but hopefully there will be a little meat on the bones and it won't come to that. That's why a list of specifications is so important.

Right now we're walking around in the dark so to speak and many of our questions could have already been answered if Ketron was on the ball and had already released the specs. Oh well, hopefully they'll be available soon. On the other hand maybe the specs aren't as promising as we were hoping for and in that case Ketron could be withholding them on purpose because they are less than stellar perhaps? If that is the case then $3,000 (plus tax) could be a deal breaker for more people than originally anticipated. Although Yamaha has a habit of being secretive about certain specifications (wav rom, etc) so this may be the new normal. They keep you guessing which avoids a potential backlash from customers if the specs don't justify the price tag. In other words buy it at your own risk and if you don't like it spend some extra money on shipping and return it. That puts the burden on the customer and not the manufacturer. But in reality a complete list of specifications is vital to make an informed decision. Therefore a company which prides itself in customer service would gladly provide a complete list of specifications because it makes for a more satisfactory experience for consumers. On the other hand a company that keeps customers guessing is probably a company that puts less emphasis on customer service and that can be a detriment to a company's bottom line. Are you taking notes AJ? Just kidding. Ketron is a small company located in Italy and so they might not have a very big staff and their repair shops might be few and far between and for that reason their customer service department is probably limited in scope. In fact I think AJ is the only mouthpiece for Ketron in the US if I'm not mistaken. Having a wider distribution network would increase sales substantially no doubt but in order to do that Ketron would need to start producing more excellent keyboard products that will attract the interest of more people. Of course the cost of the keyboards and modules themselves factor into the equation because if the price tags are too high (for what you get) it can detract from the overall value of the company itself and thereby can keep a company from gaining wider exposure. But I digress..

All the best,

Mike

Quite often, good medication for a GAS attack, is to go back and listen to the on-line demos of your current instrument....you know, the ones that made you desire it in the first place.

What's also amusing, is someone who buys another brand of arranger, and then spends the first few weeks (or months) trying to make it sound like the old one.

Ian

The price of teh MidJPro >>> http://www.thomann.de/gr/ketron_midjpro.htm?sid=fce1c2fd334d17cc2dc618197f3db798

Tooooo Muchhh

I,

I have to admit, John, that I've been guilty of that latter part myself...ha ha!

Ian

I guess it's fun to speculate, but time will tell. I'm looking forward to checking it out, although I'm pretty certain that what I have would last me nicely through the rest of my career (read life).
!

you know your getting one Mason!!

Do you have a link for the video? I couln'd find it... Thanks!

http://www.bonedo.de/artikel/einzelansicht/musikmesse-2015-ketron-sd7.html


Translation video SD7?

I gotta ask my wife to watch this with me.She is fluent in German.She'll be thrilled. ..hehehe

I can't blame you J.Larry.......Ketron could have a BIG Winner on their hands with the SD7 for an All IN ONE gigging machine that sound great .....too soon too say at his time but we'll know in weeks to come for sure, stay tuned,.....I wish them luck. I hope Yamaha didn't shoot themselves in the foot by waiting so long to release a S950 successor, after all they are not the only ones in the game .....just sayin'

Basically he said that it has a new user interface which is much more user friendly, many new features, what the end user wants, new big touch display, new styles, with Audio drums and new sounds.
He kept repeating it a couple of times.
Price little over 2.800 Euros.
Just repeating what you already read about.
Eric

So is it confirmed that the SD7 DOES NOT include audio guitars?

At that price you cant compare it to the 950, currently one can get a T5 for about 3200... And a 950 for 1700..

And yes Lee, it is confirmed that it will only be audio drums... And not guitars or bass..

What I think it's the worst - it is confirmed the price...

how much does the SD7 weigh?

Is there a specification chart published?

Dimensions and weight: 115 x 39 x 12.5 cm, 15 kg

15kg (37 pounds) SD7.......vs S950 11.5 kg (25 lbs.)
or ...PA900 10kg (23 lbs)....

Donny, 37 pounds, then add another 10 for the keyboard case, and now you're hefting nearly 50 pounds. Nah! Not for me. And for what, live drums? My S950 drums are live enough for my audiences.

Gary

Gary your a style player S950 & Bose compact Forever & ever for YOU,...... but for someone who wants to really mix it up on stage with so many playing modes, styles, VH, smf, mp3, dj, fx, separately or simultaneously the SD7 could be a OMB performers powerhouse Kb on stage...we'll see.. personally I'm happy with my current setup,....but as always I have an open mind.

Take care..

Donny, from the way I see it the only thing the SD7 would do is add nearly 15 pounds to the keyboard weight, plus audio drums. You can do all the other stuff with the S-950 and a laptop. Oh, the one thing I left out, you can then sell your S-950 for about $1,000 and add another $2,000 of debt burden. How many jobs does it take to make sufficient net profit to cover another $2,000? Of course, the other questions I always ask myself when considering a new piece of gear: Will this new gear really improve what I do every day to the point where it will generate more jobs, more income, more anything? Most of the time the answer is NO!

When I purchased that first Bose L1 system I asked myself those same questions. The Bose systems allow me to play larger jobs, while at the same time decrease my equipment weight by a substantial margin. Two positives there.

When I upgraded from the PSR-3000 to the S-950, the primary reason was OS versatility, especially with the ability to access style files directly from the USB drive and utilize the MFD from the USB. Additionally, if necessary, I could also play MP3s and link them directly to registrations. On top of everything else, because I primarily play live, the additional voices and styles, plus live drums, really put this in the must have category. Consequently, it made live performances a lot easier and the transition from song to song was much smoother. This was noticed by some of the club owners in the Florida Keys and generated more jobs because I was not fumbling with an I-pad between songs like so many of the other players down there and kept the music flowing for the crowds. That put a lot of checkmarks in the plus column for the S-950.

So, I already have the ability to mix it up on stage, same as you, but the load is lighter, and I've $2,000 to piss away sailing Chesapeake Bay this summer. And, I don't have to learn another operating system.

All the best,

Gary

Isn't it true that we only need to justify our personal choices to ourselves? Or has that changed? Why do we always assume that OUR choices are the RIGHT choices for everybody else? Seems to be a habit of musicians and religious zealots. My Notebook is better than your Netbook than your Ipad than your stupid stack of paper charts.....who gives a crap what somebody else prefers as long as it works for them (unless they specifically asked for your opinion or recommendation). JMO.

chas

There is no such thing as a wrong choice in current day instruments, there is no such things as a best choice, but as long as i am happy, i made the right choice...

Chas, you are ALWAYS wrong - and I am ALWAYS right, or is it the other way around. Who gives a crap!

Gary

If the current owners of the MJPro express their hope that the SD7's styles are compatible with their modules, then the SD7 CANNOT simply be an arranger version of the module as speculated.
Plus it has audio drums on all styles. This IS a new development on the SD range.

Henni

Also,

This IS a new thread from AJ on announcing a new Ketron product. Let's keep to topic & not promote our current favourite product over here.

Henni

Hopefully AJ will give us more info and more demos soon. It looks interesting enough and different. We will see soon enough. I do wish it didn't have speakers .
Is it really worth $3000?? Maybe, why not. It already has more audio drums than t5 will ever have.And they do sound much better than once on T5.Is it expandable with new audio drums??

If it's more reliable than when Aydia came out this will be a really nice keyboard.
I do congratulate Ketron for pushing things forward and not staying in the same place over and over . Hopefully they will get better with customer service and more reliable product.

I've been talking to AJ, and getting pretty excited about the SD7. We are discussing having a workshop in my area, maybe in the next month or so. Stay tuned!!

Don, we know you secretly work for Ketron (and probably talked Russ into doing that killer B3 demo).



chas

SSHHHHHHH!

I think it would be fair if AJ came to this topic and would explain the differences between the SD7, the audya 5 and the MidJpro into detail...

I think, the SD7 is based on the all new Dream SAM5000 series Audio Processors.


Dream® proudly announces a new milestone in Digital Audio Processing

20.01.2015 Today Dream® announes the launch of a new generation of Digital Audio Processing DSPs, the SAM5000 series.

Main features of the new series are:

- Up to 256-voice polyphony for crisp sound synthesis using proven DSP-Array® architecture
- Huge soundbanks in up to 8 GByte NAND Flash
- Copy protected sound banks, on the fly AES format decryption
- 56-bit accuracy, specific hardware accelerated DSP Audio instructions
- SW compatible to the landmark 3000 series
- Up to two independent USB 2.0 High Speed ports
- Ethernet MAC on chip
- S/PDIF Interface

Regards,

Carlo

I don't think so

Don, I'm not driving to Bossier City until you drive to Forest Hill, Maryland, or Marathon Key, Florida. I've been to your place a couple times, now it's your turn.

Gary

Not having USB3 support allready shows that it would be wiser to choose for an intel processor...

USB3 allows for real time audio connections to Computers, allowing 16 or even 32 channels audio up and down in real time for DSP processing..

With current prices there is no single reason not to choose for the performance of an intel CPU set... And thats something current music hardware producers havent understood yet ( exception Korg Kronos). Anyway, only choosing intel (or compatible amd) will push performance forward...


On top of that, this set will not be seen in hardware in the comming two years, all new hardware has a development cycle, it will take some time... And thats another good thing of Intel, its backward compatible... I can develop on older hardware and in the end upgrade to new CPU and mainboard/memmory.. The hardware controll layer is independant of the software layer...

Here are the "preliminary" specifications:-

They were nice demos but nothing to shout home about. I am beginning to think that I have genuinely bought my last arranger keyboard . There is nothing truly outstanding that's been produced on any arranger for the last 10 years. I think arranger keyboards need something new and different and usable for both pro and home users to breathe new life into them .

Jetton will not sell vary many of these I fear

Ye, drums are great of course, nothing new really for me being an Audya 5 owner,
actually less as SD7 omits the audio guitars, audio bass guitars

upgrade my Audya 5 with a touchscreen, much more RAM, SSD, super fast CPU, new OS, more RH sounds, let us add our own audio guitars, make it lighter, and THEN we are talking advancement in the Arranger world!!!

There is one important thing we learn from the SD7, touchscreens work well for arrangers... Now lets tell that to Yamaha..

Spalding, I'm with you on this one. I believe arranger keyboards may have hit their pinnacle, or at least they are very close to it. As an entertainer, there's really not much more I can ask of the keyboard that has not already been provided.

Cheers,

Gary

For Yamaha, that would be at least three generations of Tyros's . Tyros 8, anyone?

chas

Be nice, Chas.

Gary